Dear Diary
by AoiGensou
Summary: A cold solstice night finds Harry writing in his journal, eventually found by one Draco Malfoy... HPDM ...this is hopeless, irredeemable fluff... and I love it. -part four up, in which Draco implements step two of Operation Seduce Harry Potter- / / abandoned fic
1. Dear Diary

Disclaimer: This isn't mine; everything recognizable belongs to JK Rowling et al. I just borrow them on occasion to amuse myself.

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Dear Diary

By Lizzie

'Dear Diary,

'I'm sitting in the Great Hall here at Hogwarts. It's midnight, but I'm not worried about getting caught, no one expects students out after curfew to go to such a public place. And besides, it's winter holiday. Today was the solstice, and for some reason that made me a little sad. It's my last year here, and I haven't really done much of note. Today was the shortest day of the year, the last one I'll spend at Hogwarts, unless I become a teacher (not bloody likely!).

'I wish that I could have accomplished something while at school. Granted, I _did_ survive attacks from Voldemort, and I guess that could be something, but I always felt like it was through dumb luck. Though now that I think about it, I managed to turn that git Malfoy into a bunny in transfiguration the other day. Of course, I meant to do it to a toad, but I wasn't complaining.

'Malfoy is confusing. He came back at the beginning of the year no different, except that he doesn't provoke fights with me anymore. And sometimes I catch him staring at me. It's quite unnerving --'

"Isn't a diary a little girly for you, Potter?" the voice of Draco Malfoy behind him caused Harry's quill to stop scratching words in his journal with a start. He glanced quickly behind him to confirm the identity of the voice he knew all too well.

"What's it to you, Malfoy?"

Draco waved his hand in a dismissing manner. "Mind if I join you?"

"Taken to sitting with your enemy, Malfoy?" There was an amused note colouring Harry's voice. He discreetly closed his journal and set it aside. A slight motion of his quill invited Draco to sit. The blond did so, setting down two mugs on the table.

"Care to join me in a mug of wassail?" He gave a slight shove of one mug toward Harry, who took it and sniffed at it suspiciously. "I didn't poison it, if you're worried." Draco smirked slightly.

"Excuse me for being cautious. We are enemies after all." Harry quirked an eyebrow, almost as if asking if that were still a fact.

"Oh, I got tired of that shtick. How about we try the 'clueless but adorable hero who makes friends with the mysterious but gorgeous antihero with charm to spare' thing?"

Harry almost spit out his mouthful of the spicy drink as he laughed at Draco's audacity, and was more than a little curious at his use of the word 'adorable.' "Um, how about we try the 'friendly but cautious acquaintance' thing first?"

Draco smiled indulgently and stood from his seat. "Whatever you say." Without warning, he leaned over and gave Harry a soft kiss on the cheek. There was a sweet smile on Draco's face as he left the Great Hall. Harry was left stunned before he grabbed his journal and opened it to a clean page.

'Dear Diary… Draco Malfoy just kissed me.'

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A/N: This was a drabble challenge written for The Hex Files group, and also as a way to drag myself out of the writing doldrums. In my opinion it was sub-par, but I've gotten a few rather glowing responses for it. Since I've learned not to trust my own judgment about my writing, I'll believe those lovely people.

For reference, the challenge was to write 500 words (no more, no less) incorporating the words 'solstice,' 'wassail,' and 'charm.'

Huge thanks goes to Hannah (Sanguis Magia) for being my muse. And I sincerely hope you all enjoyed reading!


	2. Dear Diary 2

A/N: Due to insomnia and several people asking for me to continue, I drabbled again. Still the same guidelines, 500 words, using "solstice," "wassail," and "charm." Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Nothing's mine. But I do promise to put them back where I found them when I'm done with them, after I've washed them off. See, I did learn something from kindergarten.

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Dear Diary 2

By Lizzie

'…It's the day after the solstice and so the days are going to gradually get longer. It's kind of funny how the whole world goes in cycles. Death, rebirth, shortening, lengthening… All very philosophical.

'The weather today is lovely. It snowed last night and so there's a fresh layer, but today the sky is clear…'

"Honestly Potter, is that all you do these days?" Once again Draco Malfoy interrupted the written ramblings of Harry Potter.

"No, not really. You just have great timing." Harry shut his journal and put it in the bag that rested at his feet. "Go ahead and sit if you'd like." He scooted to his left to allow Draco some sitting room on the bench he occupied. Draco smirked – it was almost a smile, Harry noted – and did just that.

"So what brings you outside on such a cold day?" Draco asked, trying to kick start the conversation.

"It's beautiful out here when it's snowy and clear. Also, I figured no one would come out and bother me given the temperature."

"Well, most people wouldn't, that's true," Draco agreed.

"What brings _you_ out here, if you're so cold?" Harry turned the question on Draco.

"Came out here to see you of course," Draco answered without hesitation. Harry blinked twice and blushed slightly.

"Is that so?" he said softly, refusing to meet Draco's eyes. "Oh, I forgot to thank you for the wassail last night."

"My pleasure. It's an old Malfoy family recipe."

"Really?"

"No. I just took some from the kitchens." Draco smirked.

"I should have known you'd never know how to do anything domestic." Harry turned a mock scowl on the blond boy. Draco shrugged, grinning.

"All part of the Malfoy charm."

"Some charm…"

Silence pervaded the atmosphere for a couple of minutes, before Draco broke it again.

"I meant what I said last night, you know," Draco's voice softened. Harry felt a blush rising to his cheeks again, but fought it off.

"Oh really? I just thought you were drunk," he flippantly replied. Somehow he always found himself using sarcasm as a defense.

"Shush, I'm being serious. When can we move past the acquaintance stage to something more… friendly?" Draco touched Harry's upper arm softly and leaned toward him slightly, licking his lips.

"Umm…" Harry suddenly found himself focused on Draco's mouth, and couldn't pull his eyes away. "Sometime?" he absently answered to the half-remembered question.

Draco licked his licked his lips again and smiled slightly, moving closer to Harry. Harry's eyes drifted closed, and before he could regain his senses, he found his mouth touching Draco's.

The two of them stayed that way for a while, until the feeling of someone else's lips moving with his registered in Harry's brain, and suddenly reality found him. His eyes snapped open, and he moved backwards quickly.

"S-sorry!" he stammered, scrambling to his feet and grabbing his stuff. A blush stained his cheeks as the brunette bolted away.

"Game, set, match." Draco couldn't have looked happier.

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Maybe there will be a third part, it depends on if I develop insomnia again, and if people still want more. Hope you all liked!


	3. Dear Diary 3

This part is dedicated to silver emerald eyes, for writing a review that convinced me to write another part right this minute. Seriously, I got her review, and voila, fifteen minutes later we have Dear Diary 3 (it also didn't hurt that it was almost four in the morning. The insomnia monster struck again). Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Kono hitotachi wa watashi no mono jya nai. Watashi wa kashite iru dake. Gomen ne! (In a nutshell: Not mine, just borrowing. Oh, and if my Japanese seems a little… rusty and crappy, it's because I haven't used it in three years.)

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Dear Diary 3

By Lizzie

'… I can't believe that I did that. I just kissed him in the middle of the snow. Kissed him in broad daylight. It's almost as if the time since solstice has been one bizarre dream and any moment I'll wake up and be able to laugh it off. God, I hope so, because this is too surreal for words.

'You know, I wouldn't be surprised if he put something in that wassail he gave me. I'll be that's it…'

Harry put his quill to his lips, pausing his writing. He was half expecting Draco to come out of nowhere and interrupt him, as he'd done the last couple of times he'd taken time out to write in his journal.

"He has an uncanny knack for catching me while I do this," Harry laughed to himself. He poised his quill over his journal once again, but was struck with a thought before writing anything else.

"What if he's stalking me? Lulling me into a false sense of security only to spring some insidious trap on me?" Harry's brow furrowed.

"Insidious? I didn't know that you knew a word like that. I like that description of my plots." Draco's voice floated from behind where Harry was seated in the library. Harry groaned and slammed his journal shut as Draco sat in the unoccupied seat next to him.

"I've got to stop doing this in public places," he muttered. Draco laughed.

"Please don't stop. I find it rather enjoyable to catch you unawares when you're baring your soul to an unfeeling book of blank pages."

"Hey, blank pages make the best listeners," Harry refuted playfully.

"Maybe so, but they can't talk back, unlike an actual person." Draco quirked an eyebrow. Harry found himself entranced by that subtle movement of Draco's features for a second before blinking and looking away.

"You'd be surprised."

"Probably not. But I assume that your diary – "

"Journal."

"Whatever. Your diary is strictly charm-free and completely mundane."

"You'd be right."

The two of them sat in a comfortable-yet-awkward silence for a few minutes.

"Hey Malfoy, what are you trying to do?" Harry intentionally left the question vague, letting Draco interpret it as he would.

"Why Mr. Potter, I would think that you would have figured that out by now." Draco's grey eyes danced with laughter.

"Indulge me."

"I'm seducing you, of course."

Harry was silent at first, before opening his mouth to speak.

"That doesn't disturb me as much as I hoped it would." He stood and gathered his things, Draco looking on curiously. "Good luck to you," he said without any malice, a half smile on his lips as he left the library.

"Wait Potter, don't go yet," Draco called after Harry. The darker haired boy paused.

"Nope. I'm not helping you out." He turned back and winked at the stunned blond. "I know how much you love a challenge. It'll be fun." A full-blown smile graced his lips, and his step was light leaving the room.

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I suppose that begins the chase, and means the promise of more. Hopefully this whole "thing" will be completed before New Years, as I generally detest writing about holidays (the exception will be OTRFK). Anyway, REVIEW if you love me. Or the story, either one. And join my C2, because it's the coolest one out there. Seriously, every C2 wants to be like mine... or not. But you can join anyway, because I'd be thrilled, and I have good taste in stories. I'm done now. G'night!


	4. Dear Diary 4

A/N: This is my Christmas gift to all of you. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do. I heart fluff on occasion... and this is unadulterated fluff in its purest form. I've left the realm of the challenge and this is now a story. With only two more parts left, God willing. Anyway, read on and enjoy!

Dedicated to Draeconin, because I can. (There's an explanation, I'm just too lazy to recount it.)

DISCLAIMER: Please believe me when I say that you sueing me over the matter of me borrowing the characters and setting that belong to JK Rowling et al would be futile considering my financial status. Unless you want to inherit my credit card debt. You can have that.

Dear Diary 4

By Lizzie

Harry left the latest encounter with Draco feeling shaky. He couldn't believe how… forward he'd been. He was usually very hesitant to talk about anything that even _hinted_ at feelings, so hearing the words come out of his mouth was a bit of a shock. Harry was scared, but he never backed down from a challenge.

Oh, Harry wasn't scared of Draco. He knew perfectly well that he could handle him. Well, handle him in any _familiar_ encounters. Fights, competitions, anything of that sort. Harry wasn't so sure about this new development, and the implications of it were what scared him. He tended to keep a professional distance from most people, except for Ron and Hermione, and so the thought of getting closer to someone else was somewhat intimidating, and frankly sounded emotionally exhausting. Still, he had told the truth to Draco, and was more than willing (if not a little apprehensive) to face the consequences of opening his big mouth. And a small part of him was intrigued. So he would sit back and see what Draco had in mind for his little seduction, a little smug in the knowledge that he had a weapon against Draco.

That is, he did if he could keep the cards in his favor.

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Draco put a final flourish on the parchment he was writing on and blew on it to dry the ink. Once he was satisfied, he pinned it up on the wall above his desk. Admiring his work, he set his quill down and got up to leave his dorm. The parchment rustled slightly in the wake of his movement, and once it settled, the room was silent.

A predatory gleam was in Draco's eyes as he left his room, intent on finding his target. He had just spent some time penning 'Operation Seduce Harry Potter,' and it was time to implement the next step. There were four steps, and before he could get to step number 4 – 'Bow chika wow wow,' he had to pass through steps 2 and 3 (having accomplished step 1 – 'Ingratiate yourself with him') – 'Get him used to your presence' and 'Make him miss you.' So far, he felt that he was doing a fairly good job.

He had been thrown for a loop the day before, when Harry had out-and-out challenged him after he had clearly stated his intentions (he heard from someone in passing that Harry appreciated honesty). While unexpected, this new development had pleased him. He did indeed love a challenge (it irked him that Harry knew him well enough to know that, though. He liked the idea of being an enigma), and he always rose to the occasion when Harry was involved. But this time Draco was determined to come out the victor in this competition.

Draco knew Harry well enough to know by his parting words that the brunette thought that he had the advantage, but little did he know that he had played right into Draco's hand. Once his hand had been adjusted to accommodate the new circumstances, of course.

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Harry was in the Great Hall, once again writing in his journal. At least he'd had the intention of writing, but hadn't as yet put quill to paper. He couldn't help the feeling that told him the moment he started to write Draco would show up and interrupt.

'Dear diary, I think I may have done something stupid the other day when –'

"Yes, I'm four for four," Draco's dry humor interrupted his very first sentence. The sound of a body plopping down into a seat immediately followed.

"Should have known," Harry sighed as he carelessly tossed his journal into his bag. "Would it be too much to hope that you're on your way somewhere and just stopped to irritate me?" his voice was half amused and half annoyed.

Draco pretended to think before answering. "Yes. You should know by now that I love nothing more than your irritation. Especially when I've interrupted some personal ritual of yours."

Harry made a face at Draco, who grinned back maliciously.

"Do you have an actual purpose for being here?"

"Not really." Draco examined his nails for a moment in an offhanded manner. "Not that I mind or anything, but I thought you were going to stop doing this in public places?"

"Couldn't get any privacy in the dorms. Don't make me elaborate." Harry's nose wrinkled. Draco laughed.

"I'm sure my overactive imagination can come up with the appropriate scenarios that would drive you from Gryffindor country."

"Whatever your twisted mind comes up with, please don't share."

A companionable silence fell over the room for a few seconds before Draco ventured another question.

"The Great Hall?"

"No one generally comes here during holidays between meals."

"Except you of course. And now me."

"Excuse me? Are you planning on following me around or something?"

"Maybe. It seems that I have nothing better to do for the next few days. You're as good a person as any to annoy."

For a few seconds, Harry thought that they were back to the status from the solstice – casual acquaintance. He could almost pretend that the whole 'seduction' conversation never happened…

He didn't realize that silence had fallen again and that he was staring off into space until Draco waved a hand in front of Harry's face.

"Wakey wakey Potter."

"Hm? Oh, sorry, got lost in my thoughts there for a moment."

"I thought your diary –"

"Journal."

"Diary was to help you organize your pesky thoughts so you wouldn't get lost in there." Draco smirked at Harry's consternation over the use of the word 'diary.'

"Just because some of us," Harry looked pointedly at Draco, "have fewer thoughts than others, doesn't mean we're all like that."

"If that were true, I'd be insulted. Really Potter, a diary? How girly can you get?"

"This coming from the guy with the manicured nails. If that doesn't scream girl, I don't know what does."

"Excuse me, there is nothing wrong with being well-groomed."

"Uh-huh." Harry looked at him with a skeptical expression on his face. "Well Malfoy, it's been…pleasant, but I really have to be going now. Let's not do this again." Harry stood, picked up his bag and, feeling a little smug, started walking out of the Great Hall. He didn't notice his journal fall out of his bag.

Draco did.

"Wait up, Potter. I'll walk you to wherever you're going." Draco discreetly leaned over to pick up the fallen book and hid it in his robes before jogging to Harry's retreating form.

"Must you?" Harry whined playfully, but didn't protest.

"I insist."

"Hope you like climbing stairs."

"I do it every day for classes. Remember, I live in the dungeons."

"Oh yeah…" Harry had the grace to blush at his mistake.

It was a short walk, far too short in Draco's opinion, to Gryffindor Tower. Most of it was spent in silence, with the occasional comment from one of them.

"Well, we're here, you can go now," Harry told Draco as they approached the portrait marking the entrance to the Gryffindor common room.

"What, you're not going to invite me in?" Draco faked a hurt look.

"Not on your life, Malfoy."

"Whatever. Your loss, you know." Draco shrugged. "See you." The blond turned to leave, and was three steps into his downward trek when Harry's voice stopped him.

"Hey, Malfoy?" Draco turned his head to look at Harry, who looked shy all of a sudden.

"Yes?"

"Well… I… I thought that seduction was more… well… sexy."

Draco bit back laughter as he formulated his response. His eyes half closed and his voice dropped nearly an octave.

"Do you want me to be… sexy?" he crooned as he slunk toward Harry.

Harry's mouth went dry and he instinctively took a step backward. "No, I'm good." He cringed internally when he heard how squeaky his voice had come out.

Draco blinked and smiled slightly. "You seduce your way, and I'll seduce mine." He raised his hand in a tiny wave and continued his almost-forgotten journey back to the dungeons.

Harry stood in front of the Fat Lady until Draco was out of sight, trying to get his bearings. Finally, he gave the password and crawled inside the common room, gratified to see that it was empty.

"That was… interesting," he whispered to the emptiness.

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More to come at a later date! (with any luck, before New Years)


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